(Huntsville, AL) - Fantasy Playhouse is thrilled to announce our 62nd season of adored classics and new twists on fairy tale favorites presented by Redstone Federal Credit Union. Fantasy kicks off this unforgettable season with E.B. White's Charlotte’s Web followed by Huntsville's favorite family holiday tradition, A Christmas Carol. Then join us for the world premiere adaptation of Snow White and the 7 Littles by Stephen Tyler Davis (Huntsville native and Fantasy Alumni), a contemporary spin on the classic Brothers Grimm story. Each production will take place at the Playhouse at the Von Braun Center in Downtown Huntsville with a season extra presentation of Tinker Bell at the Huntsville Botanical Gardens. Fantasy Playhouse is committed to our legacy of enchanting audiences of all ages through our live theater productions. Don’t miss the chance to share the magic of Fantasy Playhouse with your family. For more information about the 62nd Theater Season and our Academy classes and camps, visit our website at http://www.FantasyPlayhouse.org.

Charlotte’s Web | Based on the book by E.B. White | Adapted by Joseph Robinette

Oct. 14-16*

Wilbur the pig may be the rambunctious runt of the litter, but his lovable spirit charms a little girl named Fern and the whole Arable barnyard! When Wilbur discovers his woeful fate, he will need the help of Charlotte, a loyal spider with a flair for writing, and a scavenger rat named Templeton for a chance at a new life. With unforgettable characters made popular by the E.B. White children’s book, Charlotte’s Web is a timeless story of true friendship, perseverance, and working together to help others in need.

A Christmas Carol | Based on the book by Charles Dickens | Adapted by Barbara Fields

Dec 2-4, 9-11

Huntsville’s most beloved family holiday tradition returns to the Fantasy Playhouse stage for the 33rd year this December! Take a trip in time through the past, present, and future with the miserly Mr. Scrooge, three Christmas Spirits, and all the whimsical characters of London town. With more theater magic than ever before, this Charles Dickens classic will delight all ages as an inspiration to keep Christmas in our hearts all year long.

Snow White and the 7 Littles | Original script by Stephen Tyler Davis

Feb. 17-19

Snow White is not waiting for a knight in shining armor! She's much too busy working to provide clean water for the Littles and all the creatures of the Nysland Woods. But when her mission is halted by the jealous Queen and her magic mirror, Snow will need the help of her forest friends to save herself and the entire village. Can the Littles rescue her in time, or will the Queen's vanity reign supreme? Find out in this new twist on a classic about kindness, community, and the true meaning of beauty. Written by Stephen Tyler Davis, Huntsville native, and Fantasy Playhouse Alumni.

Times: Friday nights at 7:00 PM, Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM

Where: Von Braun Center Playhouse, 700 Monroe St SW, Huntsville, AL. 35801

Tickets: $21 for Adults; $16 for Children ages 3-18. Children 2 and under are free if sitting on a lap. A lap seat ticket needs to be picked up at the Box Office just prior to the show.

Tinker Bell | Based on the works of J.M. Barrie | By Patrick Flynn

5/13-5/14*

You don't know Peter Pan until you've heard Tinker Bell’s side of the story! When all the fairies in Neverland start to disappear, Tinker Bell zips to London to find a friend. There she meets a young boy named Peter who follows her back to Neverland. All is fun and games in this magical world of flowers, wild animals, and goofy pirates until Peter welcomes the Lost Boys and the Darling children back to Tink's island. She quickly discovers she does not like sharing her friend with anyone else! A new, twinkling light shines on themes of imagination, play, and the complicated nature of friendship from this feisty fairy’s point of view.

Times: May 2023*

Where: Huntsville Botanical Garden, 4747 Bob Wallace Ave SW, Huntsville, AL 35805.

Tickets: $5 for Adults & Children. Ticket does not include admission to Huntsville Botanical Garden.

*Dates and times are subject to change

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Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater and Academy (FPCTA) provides theatre arts access through production, education and outreach, reaching more than 31,000 residents annually, including 16,000 children and youth. FPCTA enriches the lives of children and families through theatre and arts education, encouraging students to become self-confident, academically successful, creative-thinking citizens who are more likely to invest in their communities as adults. FPCTA’s core programs include live children’s theatre productions, classes, camps, workshops, and educational outreach through after school theatre classes and In-school touring programs. Recognizing the transformative power theatre arts can have in the life of a child, FPCTA prioritizes theatre arts access for all by engaging local underserved communities.

FPCTA is supported in part by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the City of Huntsville Arts and Cultural grant program. Season support by Redstone Federal Credit Union.

Image Courtesy of Stephen Tyler Davis

(Huntsville, AL) - Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater & Academy (FPCTA) is thrilled to announce Stephen Tyler Davis will join the staff as the new Artistic Director, effective August 1, 2022. Davis makes his return to North Alabama after 15 years working professionally in New York City as a stage director, writer, producer, performer, and educator in the theatre industry. Davis will transition from his faculty position at Sarah Lawrence College in New York where he also serves as their Theatre Program Manager. Additionally, he is the co-founder and Artistic Director for CitySalt Theatricals, an NYC based theatre company producing new plays, musicals, readings, special events, and theatre camps like Huntsville’s Blue Plate Broadway. In 2020 while still working in New York remotely, Davis led a FPCTA creative team in keeping our 30 year tradition alive by adapting and directing a new virtual production of A Christmas Carol, the first of its kind for the organization. In Spring of 2023, FPCTA will produce Davis’s original adaptation of Snow White and the 7 Littles at the Von Braun Center Playhouse as part of the 62nd Production Season. Davis is a Huntsville native and grew up through the Fantasy Academy and on the stages of many Fantasy’s theatrical productions in the 90’s and early 2000’s. As the new Artistic Director, Davis will manage and direct the production programming, community outreach, and creative projects of FPCTA. This new staff position is supported by grant funding from the Alabama State Council for the Arts. The Artistic Director will be vital to FPCTA’s growth as we step into the next stage of history while honoring its strong community-oriented roots. 

Executive Director, Karen Mockensturm stated: 

"I am absolutely thrilled to welcome Stephen’s artistic talent, professionalism and joyful spirit to lead our production programming and enhance FPCTA’s overall mission, vision, and purpose. It is an honor to welcome him back to North Alabama" 

FPCTA Board Director and President and CEO of The Company You Keep, LLC, PeggyLee Wright added: 

“We are so excited to have Stephen join our family and bring his expertise to our community. This is a game changer for FPCTA!”

Davis brings decades of experience with him back to FPCTA. In 2006, he received his BA in Theatre from University of Alabama, with honors for serving as President of Alpha Psi Omega, Gamma Gamma Cast. Then in 2016, he earned his MFA in Theatre from Sarah Lawerence College while also serving as the President of the Graduate Student Senate. He has been a guest artist around the country at universities, state festivals, regional theatres, New York Musical Theatre Festival, and New York International Fringe Festival. Davis is committed to connecting communities and inspiring joy through theatre and music in the artistic work that he makes as a director, teacher, writer, performer, producer, and designer. He is the author of plays, poetry, and original musicals, such as Huckleberry Haywood, Bird Brain, Little Trees, Rusty the Robot, Stargazing With Helen Keller, Lights Out in Cootah County,​ Snow and the 7 Littles, as well as an original adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Davis has toured the United States for three seasons with TheatreWorks USA and is a founder of CitySalt Theatricals NYC, an ordained minister, ASCAP songwriter, and a member of the Actors Equity Association. 

Image courtesy of Hector Lopez

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Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater and Academy (FPCTA) provides theatre arts access through production, education and outreach, reaching more than 31,000 residents annually, including 16,000 children and youth. FPCTA enriches the lives of children and families through theatre and arts education, encouraging students to become self-confident, academically successful, creative-thinking citizens who are more likely to invest in their communities as adults. FPCTA’s core programs include live children’s theatre productions, classes, camps, workshops, and educational outreach through after school theatre classes and In-school touring programs. Recognizing the transformative power theatre arts can have in the life of a child, FPCTA prioritizes theatre arts access for all by engaging local underserved communities.

FPCTA is supported in part by the Alabama State Council on the Arts and the City of Huntsville Arts and Cultural grant program. Season support by Redstone Federal Credit Union. 

Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater & Academy 

Megan Carter

megan.carter@fantasyplayhouse.com

256-539-6829

www.fantasyplayhouse.org

For Immediate Release 

November 16, 2020

Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater & Academy

Announces “Spotlight on the Future” and New Theatre Arts Campus

(Huntsville, AL) – This afternoon, city leaders joined the Board of Directors and staff of Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater and Academy (FPCTA) to announce a new home for the 60-year-old performing arts organization. At a media event held on the new property, FPCTA’s leadership shared building plans and launched the official capital campaign to fundraise for the project.

While the pandemic has slowed down much of Huntsville’s performing arts activity, hopes are high for a triumphant return to the stage. Prior to shutting its doors to the public in March of this year, Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater and Academy had served over 27,000 stakeholders and was on target to break records for enrollment and attendance in classes, workshops and performances. Like so many organizations and businesses, FPCTA has adjusted their programming to suit protocols demanded by the COVID-19 pandemic. Today’s good news is an indicator of the continued growth of the arts and cultural scene in the greater Tennessee Valley area despite the current crisis.

At the media event, Karen Mockensturm, Executive Director of the organization, shared FPCTA’s reasons for expansion. The non-profit organization has experienced over 400% growth since 2014, outgrowing their current building on Long Avenue. Coupled with FPCTA’s long-term vision of presenting in a venue that is family-focused, this growth inspired FPCTA leadership to take action. FPCTA purchased 5.5 acres at the corner of Holmes Avenue and Triana Boulevard for a new, state-of-the-art performing arts facility. The project includes a 35,700 square foot theatre arts campus and performance venue complete with a 355 seat theater with an arts access viewing room for nursing mothers, vocal toddlers, or sensory-sensitive children and fully-equipped production support areas that double as technical theatre teaching classrooms. This new home for the organization will bring all of FPCTA’s arts education and live children’s theatre production programming under one roof.

“Our community is the most important part of why we do what we do,” Mockensturm said. “The new Fantasy Playhouse campus will be a high-profile, accessible arts and culture destination for families, building on our organization’s legacy and providing the exact theatre arts education programming opportunities that families relocating to our area expect for their children.”

In addition to the need for performing space, FPCTA currently lacks the facilities to host more advanced instruction for important aspects of technical theatre: lighting design, set design and construction, properties fabrication, and sound design. In addition, FPCTA doesn’t possess the space/equipment to facilitate instruction in other technology-based curriculum related to theatre arts, namely film and music production. This highly sought-after STE(A)M curriculum would be a game changer for engaging students in workforce development training that could lead to careers in advanced manufacturing, engineering, or technical theatre. Expanded programming and space rental income would increase revenue and expand occupational opportunities for artists and non-artists alike.

City planning and economic development staff and city council members joined Mayor Tommy Battle for the announcement. The City has pledged $2 million in support of the project due to the importance of the Holmes corridor to Huntsville’s master planning efforts.

“We are grateful to Fantasy Playhouse for making this significant investment in this area, paving the way for more economic development in this neighborhood,” Battle shared during his remarks. “Fostering creativity is necessary for our future workforce.”

The organization also has deep roots in the Terry Heights/Hillandale neighborhoods, adjacent to the property where the new facility will be built. FPCTA has served residents of those neighborhoods for 18 years through their arts education programs. The Cornerstone Initiative and Second Mile Development – two non-profits focused on serving these areas – are strong partners of FPCTA and working together, have impacted students across the 35805 zip code. 

Today’s event was the kickoff for the organization’s fundraising campaign, titled “Spotlight on the Future”. While final numbers have yet to be determined, FPCTA’s leadership shared that the recent estimates for construction costs range between $11 - $12 million. Torch Technologies, The Daniel Foundation, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Facebook, Kiwanis Club of Huntsville Foundation, PPG, several private donors and the City of Huntsville have already pledged support. 

To enable a free community space where ARTS and STEM education combine to create STE(A)M, Facebook is donating $150,000 to a technical suite. “We've been absolutely inspired by the vision of the Fantasy Playhouse and its innovative new arts campus," said Katie Comer, Facebook’s Community Development Regional Manager. “Its impact on Huntsville will be profound, reimagining the opportunities beyond children’s theater, extending into technical education, workforce development and community building, which aligns perfectly with Facebook’s mission to build community. We've been so proud to be part of the Huntsville community since we broke ground on the Huntsville Data Center in 2018 and can’t wait for this new arts campus to open.” 

“This building, strategically set on the corner of Holmes Avenue and Triana Boulevard, will be a community asset to the Terry Heights neighborhood, prioritizing theatre arts access for all by engaging local underserved communities,” Dale Strong, Madison County Commission Chairman shared. “It is proven that an appreciation of theater arts builds in children self-confidence, academic success, creative-thinking processes, and future investment in their  communities as adults. Arts appreciation lasts a lifetime. The Madison County Commission heartily endorses this project!”

More information about Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theatre and Academy and the Spotlight on the Future building project can be found at www.fantasyplayhouse.org/spotlightonthefuture. 

Please contact Megan Carter, Advancement Director
megan.carter@fantasyplayhouse.com or 256-683-7146 for additional information.

Fantasy Playhouse Children’s Theater and Academy (FPCTA) provides theatre arts access through production, education and outreach. FPCTA’s core programs include live children’s theatre productions, classes, camps, workshops, and educational outreach through school partnerships.

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We are so grateful to our community and audience for voting us their Favorite Family Friendly Performance Group through the annual Rocket City Mom’s Family Favorite Awards!

Click here to see all of the winners!

Questions about auditions: Contact Cheri.Furno@fantasyplayhouse.com

Auditions:
for Children Ages 6-12 Only      Friday Sept 6th at 6pm (doors open at 5:30pm)
for Teens & Adults Only             Saturday Sept 7th at 10:30am (doors open at 10am) (Please note this is a change as of 8/12)
Callbacks (by invitation only) Sunday Sept 8th at 1:30pm 

Audition Requirements:

We observe age-appropriate casting for our main stage productions; adult roles are typically played
by adults.

Minimum Age by Sept 6th: 6 years old

The script may be read during office hours (M-F 10-5pm) prior to the auditions. This is a play with music. Singing and dancing ability are required for some roles.

No prepared reading or monologue required. Audition readings will be from the script.

Prepared song in the style of the show, 16 bar limit please. Bring sheet music in the desired key; no
a capella, no sound tracts or cds allowed.

For applicable parts, dancing will be done at call backs only, everyone should come in comfortable
clothes and shoes for dancing.

Roles:
Ebenezer Scrooge
Bob Cratchit
Fred
Blakely
Mr Forrest
Tiny Tim
Jacob Marley
Mrs Grigsby
Ghost of Christmas Past
Young Ebenezer (boy)
Fan
Schoolmaster (Mr Queeze)
Fezziwig
Dick Wilkins
Young Ebenezer (young man)
Belle Crawford
Mrs Fezziwig
Susan the Cook
Ghost of Christmas Present
Peter Cratchit
Tom Cratchit
Mary Cratchit
Mrs Cratchit
Belinda Cratchit
Martha Cratchit
Cecil
Topper
Mrs Fred
Dorothea
Edwards
Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Grasper
Snarkers
Joe
Mrs Dilber
Undertaker
Nellie
Maid

Coming soon – additional character information and ensemble lists

Rehearsal Schedule:
Tuesdays/Thursdays 6:30 – 9pm October 15th – November 26th
Saturdays 9am – 12noon Oct 19th & Nov 2nd
Saturdays 9am – 3pm Oct 26th, Nov 9th – Nov 30th
Tech Week: (No Conflicts)
Sunday December 1st- Thurs Dec 5th Call Time 5:30pm
Performance Dates: (No Conflicts)
December 6th-8th First Weekend
December 10th Student Matinees
December 13th-15th Second Weekend
Friday shows, call time 5:30pm for 7pm show.
Saturday and Sunday shows, call time 11:30am for shows at 1pm and 5pm.
Student Matinees Tuesday Dec 10th Call Time 7:30am for shows at 9am and 12noon

About Conflicts
Please review your schedule for the rehearsal/performance period (Oct. 15 to Dec. 15) before
auditioning. Conflicts include school activities, other lessons, ACT/SAT, Band, Trumbauer, sports,
college exams, work, work travel, and vacations (ie: Thanksgiving). You will need to list conflicts on
your audition form and verify that they are your only known conflicts. No more than 3 conflicts
preferred. Cast members may not have any schedule conflicts during Tech Week or Performance
dates (Dec 1-15).
Parent signature is needed for everyone under 19 yrs old

Fantasy Playhouse Children's Theater & Academy - Savings on Camps

• Receive 10% off 2019 Fall & 2020 Spring 
  Academy classes at our Long Ave. Campus in 
  Huntsville 2019 Fall Break Camp and 2020 
  Spring Break Camp

  *Not valid with other discounts.  Please call
   Fantasy Playhouse to redeeem offer.  Enrollment
   is first come first served.  Subject to availability.

Must use your Redstone debit or credit card to receive the offer.

Offer expires, March 27, 2020